have over fools and the mockers is that they are teachable. The simpleminded are the ones addressed by Woman Wisdom in pivotal chap. 8. Again, there as here, Wisdom hopes to impart prudence (ʿormâ) to the simpleminded (8:5). The word “prudence” (ʿormâ) can have a negative nuance in contexts outside of Proverbs and in those contexts is best translated “shrewd,” “cunning,” or “deceptive” (most notably Gen. 3:1, describing the serpent). However, in Proverbs it is used only in a positive manner, as something